Hisapnics hail confirmation of Sotomayor

Published 6:44 pm, Monday, August 31, 2009

News of Sonia Sotomayor's historic confirmation as the first Hispanic and third female Supreme Court justice spread quickly Thursday through the region's Latino community.

Puerto Ricans watched the Senate vote closely and rejoiced when Sotomayor -- raised in a public housing project in the Bronx, N.Y. -- was confirmed to replace David Souter and become the 111th justice on the Supreme Court.

"I was watching history on TV. It's such a proud moment to be able to witness history before my eyes," said state Rep. Andres Ayala, D-Bridgeport. "The fact that we will have a Puerto Rican sitting in the highest court of the land ... It's a moment full of pride. It shows anything is possible."

The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, Sotomayor graduated from two Ivy League schools -- Princeton University and Yale Law School -- then rose from assistant district attorney in Manhattan to become a federal appellate court judge.

The Senate's 68-31 vote to confirm Sotomayor ended a three-month process that sparked controversy over her qualifications and judicial philosophy that began after President Barack Obama nominated her in May.

"I'm glad Republicans saw beyond the party rhetoric," Ayala said. "Latinos, Puerto Ricans are now on the national spectrum and we are just as good as anyone to be able to sit at any level of government."

Bridgeport City Councilman Daniel Martinez, D-137, said Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court can set the stage for a Latino to be considered a potential candidate for president of the U.S.

Martinez, a member of the Young Elected Officials Network, said the group sent congressmen letters urging them to approve Sotomayor. The new justice is an inspiration to Latino youth because she represents a much-needed role model in the Hispanic community, Martinez said.

"She's one of us. She didn't grow up in a rich, elite neighborhood. She grew up in a barrio," he said, using the Spanish word for a housing project.

Former Superior Court Judge Carmen Lopez said she could identify with Sotomayor's struggle to get past critics' intense scrutiny. "When someone with diversity of thought and diversity of opinion is given an opportunity to take a seat at the table, there is often resistance," she said, remembering her own struggle to get re-confirmed in 2005.

"Every time they said something awful [about Sotomayor] I would cringe," Lopez said. "Look at those credentials. How could you say anything about that?"

Ulises Batalla, acting executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Sotomayor's appointment and confirmation comprise a significant achievement in Latino history. "It's a huge step in the right direction for us as a growing national group to be represented at that level by someone of that caliber," he said.

Millie Maldonado, founder of the Puerto Rican Parade of Fairfield County, said the confirmation of Sotomayor is particularly important to Latino women. "Finally, Latinas are being recognized for their intelligence and their effort," she said in Spanish.